In the January 6, 2013 edition of this newsletter, I wrote about a cheap cell phone service that costs $19 a month for (almost) unlimited use. In addition, the customer also had to pay $249 for the cell phone. The company has now reduced the cell phone's price to $199. I made some changes to the original article to reflect the new pricing. Plus Edition subscribers can read the article at http://eogn.com/wp/?p=23432. A Plus Edition user name and password will be required.
Dick Eastman

At first, I didn't think this device had much use for genealogy purposes. Then, after a bit of thought, I realized it could be one of the most powerful tools available today for leaving a legacy for my descendants, telling them what my life was like. In fact, I wish that my ancestors had something like this available during their lives! ParaShoot is a proposed (not yet available) HD video camera that you wear around your neck like a necklace or as a pin attached to your clothing. It is tiny, 1.9 inches by 1.2 inches by less than a...
Dick Eastman

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Dick Eastman. "ISBN" stands for "International Standard Book Number." An ISBN number is an ISO standard and normally is found in all books published in the United States since 1970 and on many books published in other countries as well. Technically, an ISBN number is not a requirement for any book; you may publish books without such a number. However, experience has shown that an ISBN number is required if you want the book to be listed in the many indexing and cataloging systems available. Also, an ISBN...
Dick Eastman

The following book review was written by Bobbi King: The Philadelphia Nativist Riots By Kenneth W. Milano Published by The History Press, Charleston, SC., 2013. 160 pages. In May of 1844, in Kensington, near Philadelphia, the Irish Catholics and the Nativists tangled in a three-day conflict that left destruction and death in the Kensington neighborhood. At the time, the Protestant Nativists prevailed in the reading of the King James Version of the Bible in the local public schools, and when the Catholics eventually pressed for the reading of the Douai, the Catholic version of the Bible, in the schools, a...
Dick Eastman

The Federation of Genealogical Societies has sent the following reminder: “Journey through Generations – A Conference for the Nation’s Genealogists June 10, 2013 – Austin, TX. Discounted early-bird registration for the 2013 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference will continue only until July 1. Early registrants receive a $50 discount for the full four days, or a $20 discount for any single day. Details at http://www.fgsconference.org. The conference will be held 21-24 August 2013 in Fort Wayne, Indiana at the Grand Wayne Convention Center. This year’s conference theme is “Journey through Generations, and the local hosts are the Allen County Public...
Dick Eastman

Library and Archives Canada has been in chaos for the past year or more. Budgets have been slashed to the bone and even into the bone, making it impossible for the government agency to perform its mandated tasks. Employees have been "gagged," not allowed to talk about the agency in any public in-person or online forum without advance permission. Charges of incompetence and financial impropriety have been made. The head of Library and Archives Canada recently was forced to resign. (You can find my recent articles about Library and Archives Canada if you start at http://goo.gl/8qzHz .) Now there is...
Dick Eastman

Overheard at a genealogy conference yesterday (repeated from memory so the wording might not be exact): Person #1: "I won't put my genealogy information online because I am afraid someone might steal it." Person #2: "Where did you obtain all that information?" Person #1: "From freely available public records, including census records, birth and death records, newspapers, and such." OK, now let me add my own comments and questions: All of those records are always available to everyone else. What is person #1 trying to hide? You may refer to the information you collect as "my ancestry" or "my records,"...
Dick Eastman

As I mentioned in yesterday's article, "Family History and DNA" Day at the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree, this year the conference organizers added a "pre-event" on Thursday that focused on the use of DNA for genealogy. Therefore, I don't know if I should refer to Friday's activities as "Day #1" or as "the second day" of the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree. Either way, I can tell you it was a good day. In short, everything continued as planned. Attendees enjoyed cool but sunny California weather and the crowds grew bigger. Workshops were held, the exhibits hall opened, meals were held,...
Dick Eastman

Steve Morse and Joel Weintraub are at it again: adding even more search capabilities to Steve Morse's great One-Step web site. Here's a quote from an email received from Joel Weintraub: If you wondered how we produced free locational tools for the opening of the 1940 census on the Morse One-Step site, wonder no more and be part of the team to do the same thing for 1950. We have opened up "Project 1950" to prepare searchable ED definitions and street indexes for the opening of the 1950 Census in 2022. With the help of about 125 volunteers we produced...
Dick Eastman

An antique teddy bear was found more than a year ago in the departure lounge of the Bristol Airport in the west of England. The bear was accompanied by a photograph dated 1918. Airport authorities believe someone accidentally left the items behind and would like to return them to the loving family where they belong. The picture, produced as a postcard from the studio of Dura Ltd., shows a teddy with two small children in light dresses. The older one, her hair tied in ribbons, has her arm around the bear. On the back is written: "With dearest love and...
Dick Eastman

The following announcement was written by Treelines: June 7, 2013 - Treelines, the winner of the 2013 RootsTech Developer Challenge, will announce tomorrow at the Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree its first family storytelling contest on the theme of “Getting Started Stories.” Everyone with a fascination for their family’s history, regardless of their level of experience, is invited to share the story about they first got interested. All entries must be composed and published using the Treelines storybuilder, currently available for free to all registered users of the site. “Treelines’ unique site brings storytelling to a new level of expression...
Dick Eastman

The Daviess County Public Library in Owensboro, Kentucky has been awarded a Seton Shields Genealogical Grant. Details are available in Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak's Roots World Blog at http://goo.gl/YE76H.
Dick Eastman

The following announcement was written by the Family History Information Standards Organisation, Inc.: Date: 8 June 2013 Family History Information Standards Organisation, Inc. (FHISO) is pleased to announce the appointment of Drew Smith as the first Chair of FHISO, effective 1 July 2013. Drew is currently the Organisational Member Representative to FHISO from the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS). “I am deeply honored to have been given this opportunity by the FHISO Board,” Drew said. “As someone who has made a career in information technology and librarianship, I recognize the critical importance of information standards, and as a long-time genealogist,...
Dick Eastman

The following announcement was written by the National Genealogical Society: ARLINGTON, VA, 8 June 2013: Don’t miss out on the Early Bird pricing for the NGS guided research trip to the world renowned Family History Library in Salt Lake City from 15–22 September 2013. NGS offers a substantial discount with early bird pricing if you register by 15 June 2013. The hosts for the trip are Sandra MacLean Clunies, cgsm, and Shirley Langdon Wilcox, cgsm, fngs. Participants will stay at the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel, which is adjacent to the Family History Library. The trip includes six full days of...
Dick Eastman

The Southern California Genealogical Society's annual Jamboree is always one of the largest regional events of the year. In fact, with 1,600 attendees (plus or minus a bit) most years, this three-day event often is larger than some of the national conferences. This year's event was stretched: a fourth day was added. I had an opportunity to attend the new, fourth day yesterday. I wasn't alone: more than 300 people from all over the world, including Australia, New Zealand, and China were registered amongst the attendees. The "Family History and DNA" addition was labeled as a "pre-event." Indeed, it seemed...
Dick Eastman

You can now search indexes for Queensland histrical birth, death and marriage records from your computer. If you find an entry in the index that you wish to view, you can download (for a fee) an image of the original register (if available). You also can order printed copies to be sent to you by post. You can learn more at: https://www.bdm.qld.gov.au/IndexSearch/BirIndexQry.m You also can find tips on how to use the search at https://www.bdm.qld.gov.au/IndexSearch/mainMenuSubmit.m?main_menu=Tips
Dick Eastman

It's travel time again. So what else is new? If you have been reading this newsletter for a while, you already know that I travel often. I am presently in Burbank, California, attending the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree. I have been to the Jamboree before and have always found it to be a great event. I suspect this year's edition will be the same. You can read more about this year's Southern California Genealogy Jamboree at http://genealogyjamboree.com. If you are also attending the Jamboree, drop by the MyHeritage booth and say "Hello!" I'll be there when I am not attending...
Dick Eastman

The National Library of Wales suffered a fire on Friday, April 26, which gutted a section of the library's roof. The fire was caused accidentally by workers using a blowtorch. Sadly, some 140 crates of material were badly damaged by water and smoke. Three boxes of 19th Century chapel records from Carmarthen had already been identified as destroyed. Other archival records that were damaged beyond repair included papers relating to Welsh football and the Wales Green Party. Archivists are still opening crates and storage boxes to find anything else that has been damaged or destroyed. Details may be found on...
Dick Eastman

The International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG) and the Southern California Genealogical Society have announced that four sessions of the “Family History and DNA: Genetic Genealogy in 2013” conference will be live streamed on a pay-for-view basis and available for viewing by genetic genealogists around the world. The cost of $30 per individual presentation includes the session’s syllabus. A special discount is available for those who purchase a Full-Day Pass at the discounted price of $100. Full-Day Pass holders will receive a digital download of the entire conference syllabus of 12 articles at no additional cost. Full details may be...
Dick Eastman

The 1921 Canadian Census was taken on June 1, 1921. It was locked up by Statistics Canada 92 years under the Statistics Act to protect individuals’ private information. That time has now expired and Statistics Canada has given the records to Library and Archives Canada. The census data is being indexed so it can be mined for historical and genealogical research as soon as possible. The following is an extract from the Library and Archives Canada web site at: http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/news/Pages/2013/1921-census.aspx: Library and Archives Canada took custody of the Census of the Canadian population, 1921 from Statistics Canada, and is beginning...
Dick Eastman